THE BENNIES // Stumble Upon Nirvana

Aug 09, 2016 / WORDS Tom Hersey / PHOTOS Matt Warrell / Welcome to Nimbin

1980s power balladeer and one-time punk Belinda Carlisle said it best; heaven is a place on earth. On their most recent tour of Australia, bleary-eyed Melbourne party punk outfit The Bennies discovered their own private slice of Valhalla when they rolled through the sleepy, weed-loving town of Nimbin on New South Wales’ north coast.

With the benefit of a couple nights’ sleep and a chance to get their minds back in order, vocalist Anty Horgan, guitarist Jules Rozenbergs, drummer David Beaumont and bassist Craig Selak talk about discovering a little piece of heaven. And, ooh baby, do they know what that’s worth.

“Nimbin was one of the best days of my life,” Craig says as soon as the topic of the town comes up. It’s three days after their show in the town and you can tell how much of an impression it’s made on the four dudes. We’re sitting backstage at their sold-the-fuck-out show at Brisbane venue The Triffid and there’s a bucket for of ice-cold beers in easy reach. You’d think there would be no time like the present. And yes, the band is pretty stoked on what’s going on right now, but still, Craig’s eyes light up when the chance to discuss Nimbin presents itself.

“I don’t think I’ve laughed as much as I did that day,” Anty says. “It was like if Disney was allowed to make a movie about smoking weed.”

“It was like if Disney was allowed to make a movie about smoking weed.”
[ Anty ]

When the band of noted bong lords announced that their Wisdom Machine Regional Australia tour would feature a date at Nimbin’s Bush Theatre, people chuckled to themselves. ‘Oh of course these dudes would play Nimbin,’ they said. And the dudes admit that they didn’t really know what to expect from a show in Nimbin. Because as much as it’s seen as a weedian’s Nazareth, it’s also featured with increasingly frequency in the press as a hotspot for much shittier drugs.